Excavator apparatus



y 1933. EQDIERKS 1,917,955

EXCAVATOR APPARATUS I Filed July 2, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 7 jfivanfvrr 0a Inger 0,

July 11, 1933. E DIERKs 1,917,955

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA US 2, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 11, 1933.

L. E. DIERKS.

EXCAVATOR APPARATUS Filed July 12, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 11, 1933. L. E. DIERKS EXCAVATOR APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q II Patented July 11, 1933 LOUIS E. DIERKS, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO SAUERMAN 3308., INC., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS EXCAVATOR APPARATUS Application filed July 2,

One of my objects is to provide a construction of excavator apparatus which shallbe conditionable for use as a short range excavator and involving the use of a boom, or a long range excavator involving the use of a tower.

Another object is to provide such anapparatus possessing the adaptability for rotation of the platform supporting the boom and which is desirable in short range excavating work.

Another object is to provide excavator apparatus which may be used as a revolving drag-line apparatus, a cableway excavator apparatus or a power drag scraper apparatus.

Another object is to provide an excavator structure having an element which in one position operates as a boom and in another position serves as a tower; and other objects as will be manifest from the following description. l

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in front elevation of apparatus constructed ,in accordance with my invention and conditioned to operate as a long range excavator and involving the use of a tower. v

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the apparatus showing it as conditioned for operating as a short range revolving drag line excavator and involving the use of a boom.

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of the apparatus as conditioned in Fig. 1 showing, by a composite view, the arrangement of lines for use of the apparatus as a slackline power-drag scraper apparatus or a cableway excavator apparatus.

Figure 4: is an enlarged broken plan section taken at the line 4c on Fig. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 5 is a view in elevation of the apparatus conditioned for use as a slack line power drag scraper apparatus; and

Figure 6, a similar view showing the apparatus conditioned for use as a cableway excavator apparatus.

The apparatus shown comprises a crawler base structure 7, suchas is commonly em- 1932. Serial No. 620,679.

steel member 13 which selectively serves as t a boom or a tower as hereinafter described,

the member 13 being hinged at its lower end as represented at 14 to the front edge of the platform 9, adapting the member 13 to be swung into either tower-forming position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or boom-forming po-' sition as indicated in Fig. 2.

The member 13 is provided, between its ends, with heads 15 containing horizontal bolt holes 16 which when the member 13 is swung to tower-forming position, register with bolt holes 17 provided in the plates 12, the member 13 being secured in this position as by bolts 17 extending through the plates 12 and the heads 16, the connection afforded by the parts just described being releasable.

The platform 9 is shown as provided at its lower end, adjacent the hinge 14, with a set of fair lead sheaves 18; and the member 13, at its upper, or outer, end with pairs of guide sheaves 19 and 20 and a guide sheave 21 and to the rear of the sheaves just referred to a pair of guide sheaves 22 arranged in axial alinement, the member 13 at the front side thereof and below the sheave 21 being provided with a guide sheave 23. The frame 10 is provided at its upper end with pairs of fair lead sheaves 2a and 25 and adjacent thereto a pivoted cable-end attaching plate 26.

It may be here stated that the various sheaves referred to are provided to adapt the apparatus for use in any oflthe capacities above referred to and as hereinafter fully described, the various cables and lines employed in connection therewith being op- Y of the hoistin erated by power machinery of any construction suitable for separately controlling the various lines and, in the particular construction shown, operative to rotate the platform 9 to any desired angular position about its axis of rotation as through the medium of rack and pinion mechanism as commonly provided'but not shown, and to apply driving power to the crawler mechanism connected with the base 7.

As power mechanism suitable for performing the functions above referred to is well known in the art detailed illustration and description thereof is omitted, the drawings showing in a.diagra'mmatic way only, three hoisting drums represented at 27, 28 and 29 and representing the drums apparatus each of which is adapted to be lndependently operated, under the control of the operator.

Referring first to the use of the apparatus as a short range revolving drag line scraper apparatus as shown in Fig. 2, the member 13, forming a boom in this structure, is

w supported to extend outwardly from the platform 9 at any desired angle as for example that shown in Fig. 2, by means of a fall line 30 shown as connected with the power drum 27 and extending between certain of the fair lead sheaves 24 and 25,

' thence around one of the sheaves 22 at the outboard end of the boom, back to the other of the sheaves 25 and thence around the other of the sheaves 22 and back to the pivoted anchor plate 26 to which the terminal end of the line is connected. B means of the line 30 the boom 13 may be a justed toany desired angular position.

The apparatus now being described also comprises a drag bucket represented at 31 and of a well known type, the bucket being connected at its bail portion 32 with a line 33 passing over one of the sheaves 19 and thence to the power drum 28. The upper end of the bucket 31, considering it in horizontal position, is connected at 34 with one end of a line,35 extending around a sheave 36 flexibly secured to the bail 32 by a cable 37, the other end of this line forming, with a chain 38 connected at one end thereof with the line 35 and at its opposite end with the front of the bucket as represented at 39, a bridle which is connected with a load line 40 extending between the fair lead sheaves 18 and connected with the power drum 29.

The bucket 31 is operated by dragging it, by means of the load line 40, over the material to be excavated, while maintaining the line 33 slack. The bucket is raised,

.after filling, by pulling on both cables 33 and 40, the platform 9 is rotated into the desired position for dumping and'the bucket dumped by releasing the load line 4O the bucket 31 assuming the position shown in Fig. 2. The platform 9 is then rotated back to the point of loading, the bucket 31 lowered to digging position and the above referred to cycles of loading and dumping the bucket repeated, in accordance with common practice.

Referring to the use of the apparatus as a long range power drag scraper apparatus as disclosed in Fig. 5 and in the composite View shown in Fig. 3, the fall line 30 is operated by the drum 27 to swing the member 13 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Figs. 3,4 and 5, in which position this member is secured by connecting it at its heads 16 with the top of the A-fralne 10 by means of the bolts 17 in which position this member forms a rigid tower.

The apparatus now being described comprises a track cable 41 shown as connected at one end with the drum 28 from which it extends upwardly over one of the sheaves 19, thence over the material to be excavated and connects at its other end with an anchor 42, the slack in this cable being controlled by the drum 28.

This apparatus also comprise a bucket represented at 43 and of the bottomless scraper type shown as supported at its rear end by a cable 44 connected at its upper end apparatus just described is operated by slacking the track cable 41 to permit the scraper to engage the material to be evcacated and the scraper than drawn along the material by the load line '47 to dig into the material until loaded, whereupon the shape of the top plate of the bucket 43 causes it to ride out of digging position and ride its load along the material until such time as the track cable 41 is tensioned, by operating the drum 28, sufiicientl to lift the bucket 43 to dump its load, the ucket 43 being returned to dlgging' position by running down the track cable upon paying out the load line 47.

Referring to the use of the apparatus as a long ran e slack line cableway apparatus as disclose in Fig. 6 and in the. composite view shown in Fig. 3, in which condition the member 13 forms a tower as shown, the apparatus comprises a slack line cableway 48 shown as comprising the cable 49 anchored at one end, as represented at 50, and connected at its oposlte end, as represented at 51, to a block 52 forming a part of tensioning means for the cable section 49, and comprising a line 53 connected with the drum 28 and passing over one of the sheaves 19. thence around one of two axially alined sheaves 54 on the block 52, around one of the sheaves 20, thence around the other of the sheaves 54 and around the other of the sheaves 20 and back to the block 52 to which it is connected as indicated at 55. Thus by operating the line 53 the cableway 48 may be rendered more or less slack as desired.

The apparatus also comprises a bucket 56 shown as of the box-shape type open at its forward end and suspended by a trolley 57 from the cableway 48. The bucket 56 is connected at its forward end with a load line 58 which extends over the sheave 21 and connects with the drum 29, this bucket mechanism being of a type as commonly used and operating when the bucket is drawn upwardly along the cableway 48 to a predetermined position to engage a stop button, continued pulling on the line 58 causing the upending of the bucket and the dumping of the load therefrom, the bucket returning to the digging point by running down the cableway 48 in the slacking of the line 58.

To load the bucket 56, the operator, having slackened the cableway 48 to permit the bucket to rest on the material to be excavated, pulls on the line 58 thereby causing the bucket to dig into the material and fill, the digging action continuing until the operator, by drawing on the line 51 raises the cableway 48. The bucket continues to carry its load until it is moved, by drawing on the line 58, into the predetermined dumping position above referred to at which the bucket is automatically dumped by continued pull on line 58.

As will be readily understood from the foregoing the track cable 41 of Fig. 5 instead of being directly connected with the operating drum may connect with tensioning means as in. the construction shown in Fig. 6 and likewise the cableway 48 instead of connecting with tensioning means as shown and described may connect direct with the power drum. Also the engaging of the lines 47 and 58 with the particular sheaves as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, is merely by way of example as the line 47 may extend over the sheave 21 as desired and the line 58 over the sheave 23.

Furthermore, particular constructions of short range and long range excavating apparatuses are illustrated and described merely as examples of arrangements of parts which may be utilized in the selective conditioning of the apparatus to the different uses of which it is capable, and thus applicant has no intention of thereby limiting the invention to any particular character of scraper or bucket elementor actuating mechanism therefor.

As will be understood it is desirable that means he provided for counterbal ancing the offset load to which the apparatus is subjected in use, this load being diflerent for the difierent uses to which the apparatus may be put as above described. In the'appara-tus shown water ballast is provided for this purpose by mounting on the platform 9 a water tank represented at 59 and positioned to counterbalance the oifset load, the amount of the ballast provided depending upon the amount of water introduced into the tank.

The apparatus is also shown as provided with means operating to prevent the platform 9 and the parts carried thereby from tilting, under the action of the eccentrically disposed ballast, when the offset load on the platform is reduced, particularly as for example when the member 13 is adjusted from boom-forming condition to tower-forming condition, these means comprising, in the arrangement shown, jacks, or spuds 60, connected with, and located at opposite sides of, the platform 9 adjacent the end thereof which would be depressed by the water ballast, and bearing against the ground.

While reference is above made to the conventional hoisting means as suitable for 'operating the apparatus conditioned for difi'er ent uses as above described, it is preferred that the drum 29 be associated with suitable mechanism adapting this drum to be operated at variable speeds under the control of the operator. This is desirable particularly in the operating of the load line 47 of the apparatus of Fig. 5 wherein the scra er hoists relatively great distances, this varia le speed arrangement permitting the scraper to be moved slowly in loading and inhauled at greater speed.

It will be understood that, if desired, instead of providing for gravity return of the scraper in the apparatus shown in Fig. 5, the track cable outhaul line (not shown) substituted therefor,'this outhaul line being connected with the rear of the scraper 43, thence passing over a sheave at the anchorage 42, and around one of the sheaves 19 to the drum 28.

Various other changes and alterations may be made in the apparatuses shown and the invention embodied in other forms of structures without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. in excavating apparatus, the combination of a platform, a member hinged at one end to said platform serving in diilerent positions as a boom and a tower, respectively, a second member rising from said platform at the side of said first-named member, and means between the ends of said firstrnamed member relcasably connecting said members together.

2. In excavator apparatus, the combination of a platform, a member hinged at one end to said platform serving in different po- 41 may be omitted and an sitions as a boom and a tower, respectively,

an A-frame rising from said platform, and means between the ends of said member for releasably connecting said member to said frame. 1

3. In excavator apparatus, the combination of a platform, a member hinged at one end to said platform serving in different ,positions as a boom and a tower, respectively, a second member rising from said platform at the side of said first-named member, and a pin connection between said members above the hinge connection of said fi1'st named member with said platform.

4. In excavator apparatus, the combination of a platform, a member hinged at one end to said platform serving in different positions as a boom and a tower, respectively, an A-frame rising from said platform, and a pin connection between said frame and member above the hinged end of said mem- -ber for releasably connecting said member to said frame.

5. In excavator apparatus, the combination of a platform, a member hinged at one end to said platform serving in different posltlons as a boom and a tower, respectively, an A-frame IlSlIlg from sald platform, and a 7 pin connection between the top of said frame and said member for releasably connectmg said-member to said frame.

6. In excavator apparatus, the combination of a platform, rolling supports for said platform adapting it to be moved into different locations, a member hinged at one end to anedge of said platform and serving in different positions as a boom, and a tower, respectively, an A-frame mounted on said platform, a releasable connection between the top of said frame and said member, an excavator element associated with said member, and power means for operating the excavator mounted on said platform.

7. An apparatus adapted for use as a remechanism-equipped platform,

volving dragline scraper machine or a tower excavating machine comprising a powera boom pivoted at one end to said platform, a member rising from said platform, a fall line connected with said power mechanism and .with said boom, and means cooperating with said boom and member for holding said boom in a fixed vertical position to serve as a tower. v

8. Excavating apparatus comprising a platform, a member hinged at one end to said platform and adapted to serve as a hinged boom, releasable means co-operating with said member adapting it in upwardly swung position to serve as a cantilever tower, guide block equipment, operating cables, and means adapting the apparatus for use as a dragline machine, a cableway excavator or a power drag scraper apparatus.

9. Excavating apparatus comprising a platform, a member hinged at one end to said platform and adapted to serve as a hinged boom, releasable means co-operating with said member adapting it in upwardly swung position to serve as a cantilever tower, a power mechanism on said platform,

guide block equipment on said member, and

lever tower.

LOUIS E. DIERKS. 

